Josh is my baby. But you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. In the last year he has grown about eight inches. I have to look up to yell at him! He has always been a bit of a handful. His attention span is nearly nonexistent. He doesn't really like to sit in one place for very long. He loves to do what he can to get a rise out of his older brothers. He is the typical baby brother.
But on the other hand, he has the kindest, most tender, sweetest heart of any 15 year old I know. He cares about his family and friends very deeply. He is even kind and compassionate to strangers. He has one of those sparkling personalities that you just can't but help but love. When he was little, I used to tell him, jokingly, "It's a good thing you are so cute or I'd have to kill you!" Probably not the best thing to say to a child but I always said it with a smile and I know he knew I wasn't totally serious.
I occasionally get to be in the car with one of my boys and we can have a great talk. This has been one of the many blessings that has come from working our new business. Today I had the chance to ride in the car with Josh for about 45 minutes. He will just blurt out what is on his mind, right in the middle of his train of thought. It is so hilariously random sometimes! He had me almost crying with laughter.
We were following a truck with a Transformers sticker in the back window. Out of nowhere and all of a sudden, he burst out with, "If I were a Transformer, I think I would want to be a boat."
A little bit before that we were listening to my Zune on shuffle. I have a very eclectic taste in music. One minute we could be listening to Fall Out Boy, the next we could be listening to the Beach Boys. On this trip I told Josh he could have two "skips". That means he can skip a song he doesn't like and I can't stop him, even if it is a song I love. Michael Jackson's "Beat It" came on. We were almost home and he hadn't used a single skip yet. He was tempted to push the button. I stopped him, explaining that this song was cool because Eddie VanHalen played the guitar in that song. He looked at me very puzzled and asked, "Were they alive at the same time? Isn't Michael Jackson dead?" This from the boy who spent a whole month listening to nothing but Queen's greatest hits. I thought I had done such a great job musically educating him in Classic Rock. I guess I have more work to do.
All day today I had been in the car, rushing here and there. Busy, busy, busy. I got quite a bit accomplished on those trips but none of them were nearly as much fun or filled with laughter as the last trip with my baby. Our journey was a bust in a few ways. There was lots of "drive home" traffic. We got lost and even after we found the home we needed, we didn't even end up putting up the sign. But we had a great time on the journey. We talked and laughed and enjoyed that 45 minutes.
What lessons can we learn from that? Quit rushing through life! Spend some time with your loved ones. Have conversations with your kids. Or better yet, close your mouth and open your mind and ears when you are with your kids. You will get a better insight to their hearts and thoughts. They might be more willing to open their mouths and hearts to you if you learn how to listen. Find the joy in your journey.
Happy trails!
But on the other hand, he has the kindest, most tender, sweetest heart of any 15 year old I know. He cares about his family and friends very deeply. He is even kind and compassionate to strangers. He has one of those sparkling personalities that you just can't but help but love. When he was little, I used to tell him, jokingly, "It's a good thing you are so cute or I'd have to kill you!" Probably not the best thing to say to a child but I always said it with a smile and I know he knew I wasn't totally serious.
I occasionally get to be in the car with one of my boys and we can have a great talk. This has been one of the many blessings that has come from working our new business. Today I had the chance to ride in the car with Josh for about 45 minutes. He will just blurt out what is on his mind, right in the middle of his train of thought. It is so hilariously random sometimes! He had me almost crying with laughter.
We were following a truck with a Transformers sticker in the back window. Out of nowhere and all of a sudden, he burst out with, "If I were a Transformer, I think I would want to be a boat."
A little bit before that we were listening to my Zune on shuffle. I have a very eclectic taste in music. One minute we could be listening to Fall Out Boy, the next we could be listening to the Beach Boys. On this trip I told Josh he could have two "skips". That means he can skip a song he doesn't like and I can't stop him, even if it is a song I love. Michael Jackson's "Beat It" came on. We were almost home and he hadn't used a single skip yet. He was tempted to push the button. I stopped him, explaining that this song was cool because Eddie VanHalen played the guitar in that song. He looked at me very puzzled and asked, "Were they alive at the same time? Isn't Michael Jackson dead?" This from the boy who spent a whole month listening to nothing but Queen's greatest hits. I thought I had done such a great job musically educating him in Classic Rock. I guess I have more work to do.
All day today I had been in the car, rushing here and there. Busy, busy, busy. I got quite a bit accomplished on those trips but none of them were nearly as much fun or filled with laughter as the last trip with my baby. Our journey was a bust in a few ways. There was lots of "drive home" traffic. We got lost and even after we found the home we needed, we didn't even end up putting up the sign. But we had a great time on the journey. We talked and laughed and enjoyed that 45 minutes.
What lessons can we learn from that? Quit rushing through life! Spend some time with your loved ones. Have conversations with your kids. Or better yet, close your mouth and open your mind and ears when you are with your kids. You will get a better insight to their hearts and thoughts. They might be more willing to open their mouths and hearts to you if you learn how to listen. Find the joy in your journey.
Happy trails!
1 comment:
Hi Aimee! So how tall is your baby these days? How nice that you get to have one on one talks on the way to work with them. It's ironic that your post was about this topic because my 13-year-old and I were just having an after school conversation together and I decided to read your post aloud to him after we'd covered most everything. It's great to have sons.
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